montreal museum – Tourisme Montréal Bloghttp://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 19:47:32 +0000en-UShourly1The sky’s the limit at the Montréal Aviation Museumhttp://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/the-skys-the-limit-at-the-montreal-aviation-museum/
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/the-skys-the-limit-at-the-montreal-aviation-museum/#respondTue, 03 May 2016 14:44:25 +0000http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/?p=120228The Montréal Aviation Museum is a small working museum with big dreams. The museum’s sky-high ambitions were on full display during the August 2014 maiden voyage of their full-scale replica of the historic aircraft Blériot XI. The original Blériot XI was the first aircraft to fly over the City of Montréal, on July 2, 1910. The replica, christened “Le Scarabée,” was lovingly and meticulously built, based on original plans, over 15 years by volunteers at the Montréal Aviation Museum, which is located in the historical “Old Stone Barn” on the Macdonald Campus of McGill University in the picturesque town of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, 30 minutes outside Montréal. “We are a working museum,” says Montréal Aviation Museum president John Lawson. “As well as seeing museum displays, you can see people working on airplanes. We started as a restoration centre in 1998, but now we’ve reached the point where we are primarily a museum.” Formerly called the Canadian Aviation Heritage Centre, the Montréal Aviation Museum has five vintage aircraft built or being rebuilt, a 6,000-book aviation library, aviation memorabilia such as pilot flight suits, model airplanes and an art gallery showcasing dozens of the finest aircraft paintings from across Canada. There is also a... / Read More →

]]>The Montréal Aviation Museum is a small working museum with big dreams. The museum’s sky-high ambitions were on full display during the August 2014 maiden voyage of their full-scale replica of the historic aircraft Blériot XI.

The original Blériot XI was the first aircraft to fly over the City of Montréal, on July 2, 1910. The replica, christened “Le Scarabée,” was lovingly and meticulously built, based on original plans, over 15 years by volunteers at the Montréal Aviation Museum, which is located in the historical “Old Stone Barn” on the Macdonald Campus of McGill University in the picturesque town of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, 30 minutes outside Montréal.

“We are a working museum,” says Montréal Aviation Museum president John Lawson. “As well as seeing museum displays, you can see people working on airplanes. We started as a restoration centre in 1998, but now we’ve reached the point where we are primarily a museum.”

Formerly called the Canadian Aviation Heritage Centre, the Montréal Aviation Museum has five vintage aircraft built or being rebuilt, a 6,000-book aviation library, aviation memorabilia such as pilot flight suits, model airplanes and an art gallery showcasing dozens of the finest aircraft paintings from across Canada. There is also a museum boutique.

British-born Lawson dreamed of becoming a Spitfire pilot during World War II before his family moved to Canada in 1947. “I went to the Royal Military College of Canada and flew as a military jet test pilot, then after 18 years left the service to work for Canadair and Bombardier and ended up as president of the business aircraft division,” says Lawson, who brings much expertise to the Montréal Aviation Museum. “When I retired about 15 years ago, I came here. It’s a labour of love. We also have about 40 or 50 volunteers. Their enthusiasm is infectious. We are all immensely proud of this place.”

The Montréal Aviation Museum is open year-round. It may not be anywhere near as big as The Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa or the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Mount Hope, Ontario, but Lawson says, “The concepts and commitment to aviation is the same.”

The Montréal Aviation Museum also hosts and organizes aviation-related events year-round. “It’s amazing to see the emotion in the eyes of the old pilots who come to visit us,” says Lawson, adding that one does not need to be a pilot to enjoy a visit at the Montréal Aviation Museum. “Even if they aren’t airplane buffs, everybody still enjoys our museum because people can’t comprehend why something as heavy as a 747 could lift off the ground and fly. There is still magic to aviation.”

The Montréal Aviation Museum is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.cahc-ccpa.com.

]]>http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/the-skys-the-limit-at-the-montreal-aviation-museum/feed/0Must-see 2016 Montréal museum exhibitionshttp://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/must-see-2016-montreal-museum-exhibitions/
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/must-see-2016-montreal-museum-exhibitions/#respondTue, 29 Dec 2015 14:00:46 +0000http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/?p=118117Several blockbuster exhibitions will be on display at Montréal museums in 2016. Here are some choice picks: The much-anticipated POMPEII: A Roman City exhibition chronicles the life and death of Pompeii and neighbouring town Herculaneum, which were destroyed by the spectacular eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. By that time, Pompeii had become a wealthy playground for some of Rome’s most influential citizens. When the city was buried under several metres of volcanic rubble and lava, the city’s treasures were protected from the ravages of time. Some 250 years after Pompeii’s rediscovery, this exhibition features nearly 200 archaeological artifacts – statues in bronze and marble, mosaics, frescoes and decorative arts – that offer an extraordinary glimpse into daily life at the height of the Roman Empire. POMPEII: A Roman City runs at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts from Feb. 6 to Sept. 5. The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts will also present the massive Rethinking Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition about the iconic and controversial American photographer famous for his homoerotic male nudes and celebrity portraits, including Richard Gere, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono and his great friend Patti Smith. This exhibition features 250 works, mostly Mapplethorpe’s highly stylized black-and-white photographs, but also colour... / Read More →

]]>Several blockbuster exhibitions will be on display at Montréal museums in 2016. Here are some choice picks:

The much-anticipated POMPEII: A Roman City exhibition chronicles the life and death of Pompeii and neighbouring town Herculaneum, which were destroyed by the spectacular eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. By that time, Pompeii had become a wealthy playground for some of Rome’s most influential citizens. When the city was buried under several metres of volcanic rubble and lava, the city’s treasures were protected from the ravages of time. Some 250 years after Pompeii’s rediscovery, this exhibition features nearly 200 archaeological artifacts – statues in bronze and marble, mosaics, frescoes and decorative arts – that offer an extraordinary glimpse into daily life at the height of the Roman Empire. POMPEII: A Roman City runs at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts from Feb. 6 to Sept. 5.

The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts will also present the massive Rethinking Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition about the iconic and controversial American photographer famous for his homoerotic male nudes and celebrity portraits, including Richard Gere, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono and his great friend Patti Smith. This exhibition features 250 works, mostly Mapplethorpe’s highly stylized black-and-white photographs, but also colour prints and Polaroids, covering the artist’s entire career, from the early 1970s until his death from complications related to AIDS, at the age of 42 in 1989. Rethinking Robert Mapplethorpe opens in Fall 2016.

In Old Montréal, Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Archaeology and History Complex, mounts the world-exclusive exhibition Investigating Agatha Christie to mark the 125th anniversary of the famous mystery novelist’s birth, on Sept. 15, 1890. The exhibition, which launched in December 2015, features items from the British Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Royal Ontario Museum, as well as some of Christie’s own priceless personal effects still in her family’s possession. The exhibition looks at Christie through her work and imagination – her writing has been translated into 44 languages and sold 2.5 billion copies (only the Bible and Shakespeare are more popular) – as well as her world, including archaeology. Between 1930 and 1960, Christie witnessed some major finds at ancient Mesopotamian sites in Syria and Iraq, and artifacts unearthed by her husband and other archaeologists, as well as from places she visited in Egypt and the Middle East, are part of the exhibition. Investigating Agatha Christie continues until April 17.

Two upcoming exhibitions at the McCord Museum are already the talk of the town among fashion lovers and architecture aficionados:

The McCord’s longstanding relationship with London’s famed Victoria and Albert Museum continues with the V&A’s critically-hailed exhibition Italian Style: Fashion Since 1945 at the McCord from May 26 to Sept. 25. The exhibition features the works of Italy’s most celebrated designers, including numerous dresses and creations by Valentino, Armani, Fendi, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Emilio Pucci. The exhibition explores the glamour and influence of Italian fashion from 1945 to today.

The McCord will also present the Charles Gurd: Montreal Mansions in 1974 exhibition which features some 40 black-and-white prints that portray a bygone way of life, when the wealthy of Montreal’s elite lived in sumptuous Edwardian mansions in the city’s fabled Golden Square Mile. In 1974, Montreal architect Charles Gurd met with many of these families to photograph the interiors of their magnificent homes. Charles Gurd: Montreal Mansions in 1974 runs from June 16 to Nov. 6.

Over at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (affectionately called “The MAC” by locals), multi-media Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson gets the red carpet treatment (Feb. 11 to May 22) in his first major Canadian exhibition featuring four important pieces exploring the tragic and comic sides of human existence; while the late, legendary Quebec artist Edmund Alleyn (May 19 to Sept. 25) is the subject of a loving retrospective that features roughly 50 paintings, drawings, films and technological pieces, including works not previously publicly displayed.

]]>http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/must-see-2016-montreal-museum-exhibitions/feed/0Marvels and Mirages of Orientalism: Nathalie Bondil’s 5 must-seeshttp://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/nathalie-bondils-5-must-sees/
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/nathalie-bondils-5-must-sees/#respondMon, 23 Feb 2015 21:08:29 +0000http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/?p=108572Nathalie Bondil, Director and Chief Curator of the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, talks to us about her favourite works in the exhibition Marvels and Mirages of Orientalism: From Spain to Morocco, Benjamin-Constant in His Time, at the Museum until May 31. I discovered this huge painting on the wall of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it was on loan, holding place of pride in a room dedicated to Orientalism, facing superb paintings by Renoir et Delacroix. Next to these great masterpieces, it emanated strength and seduction, thanks to the brilliance of its colour and the beauty of its models. Here, the painter is interpreting the classic theme of the odalisque. Lounging languidly on rich fabrics, they are lulled by the sweet melody of the oud, played by a black slave. In the distance, the azure horizon of the Bay of Tangier bathes this masterpiece in light. Of course, the painter never actually saw this scene, which was far removed from the reality of women in Morocco… except in the composition of his studio! This Eurocentric vision evokes, with a rarely achieved elegance, the mythical harem. The favourite redhead with the translucent skin is a recurring model... / Read More →

Nathalie Bondil, Director and Chief Curator of the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, talks to us about her favourite works in the exhibition Marvels and Mirages of Orientalism: From Spain to Morocco, Benjamin-Constant in His Time, at the Museum until May 31.

Jean-Joseph Benjamin-ConstantThe Favourite of the EmirAbout 1879Oil on canvas142.2 x 221 cmSigned l.l.: Benj-ConstantWashington, D.C., National Gallery of ArtCourtesy of the United States Naval Academy Museum2010.95.1

I discovered this huge painting on the wall of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it was on loan, holding place of pride in a room dedicated to Orientalism, facing superb paintings by Renoir et Delacroix. Next to these great masterpieces, it emanated strength and seduction, thanks to the brilliance of its colour and the beauty of its models. Here, the painter is interpreting the classic theme of the odalisque. Lounging languidly on rich fabrics, they are lulled by the sweet melody of the oud, played by a black slave. In the distance, the azure horizon of the Bay of Tangier bathes this masterpiece in light.

Of course, the painter never actually saw this scene, which was far removed from the reality of women in Morocco… except in the composition of his studio! This Eurocentric vision evokes, with a rarely achieved elegance, the mythical harem. The favourite redhead with the translucent skin is a recurring model in Benjamin-Constant’s works. Her fiery hair translates, in the imagination of the 19th century, the idea of burning passion and the seductive temptress.

I was dazzled by this stunning painting at a leading art and antiques festival that takes place every March in Maastricht, in the Netherlands, which is an absolute must for all art lovers and professionals. Already spotted in a Parisian gallery by one of my colleagues for an exhibition in Toulouse, it slipped from his hands only to turn up in this prestigious stand, and finally, in a special collection. Such is the destiny of artwork…

Who is this man of such fierce beauty? His commanding eyes convey the pride of his people in a single look. Is it a head study for a great painting? Is it a portrait? Because the physiognomy is breathtaking. Benjamin-Constant visited Morocco, an independent country not easily accessible, a number of times. He had a studio there as well. But he also created more Orientalist paintings in his Parisian studio. It’s a complete mystery.

When it was uncrated, I remember being dazzled by this watercolour’s utter beauty. Since the presence of Regnault, a brilliant artist whose promising career was cut short in his youth by war, seemed a little too limited in the corpus of the exhibition, I was able to add two watercolours at the end, thanks to the help of an excellent Parisian gallery owner, from a private American collection. I know them from having seen them when I was a student during a monograph exhibition at Saint-Cloud in 1991. But the catalogue that I kept from this retrospective didn’t reflect the incredible beauty of this work that had dimmed in my memory: you have to see the painting.

Its enormous dimensions along with its particularly successful execution are remarkable for a watercolour. The patterns interlaced across the entire surface of the canvas illustrate the profusion of decorative Oriental elements that fascinated Regnault, as they did friends such as Benjamin-Constant. Watercolour is a difficult art: it’s fast and can’t be redone, and their subdued effects rarely attain such intensity and density in the colouring. This stained glass effect in the light is perfect for conveying the scintillating nature of Orientalist subjects. The bodies can barely be distinguished from the textiles. Regnault is a true master.

This monumental painting is the largest ever to be brought into the galleries of the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, unrolled and in one piece. It was quite the logistical challenge that the technical teams pulled off brilliantly… in -27°C weather this January! Benjamin-Constant is the painter of the oversize format. This exhibition gives us the chance to restore and reveal a number of his magnificent canvasses hidden in storerooms up until now. What a reversal for a painter who was so revered in his time!

But why did he paint on such a grand scale? The evocative power of his paintings, whose size suggests a “cinematographic” relationship with spectators, explains in part this need to create the illusion of reality, to plunge us into a panoramic exoticism… a life-sized escape by the artist. The artist also needs to simply get noticed in a salon crammed with thousands of paintings piled up to impossible heights: a sheer clutter. To attract the attention of critics and potential clients, Benjamin-Constant goes big, this painting occupying an entire panel at the end of the Salon du Palais at the Champs-Élysées in 1878! His strategy was successful because he won an award, the State acquiring the painting for the Musée de Lille. This is the first time that it has been from there since.

From the beginning of this project, I felt it was impossible to show this exhibition without a critical look at the Orientalist harem scenes presented by many icons in this exhibition. In fact, my main interest was to deconstruct the iconographic schemes of these compositions that reveal existing, entrenched stereotypes. The power of the image speaks to me first. That is why I invited many Moroccan artists—since the exhibition showcases this specific part of the Orient—like Lalla Essaydi.

Her photographs of women revisit the composition of Orientalist imagery, a closed circuit made by Westerners for Westerners. If the beauty and the composition of these works claim the artistic tradition that first seduced the imagination of the Orientalists, Essaydi diverts this to defend the rights of Arab women through self-representation. Using photographs that imitate the Orientalist paintings, she subverts the spectator’s learned response by giving the deceptive impression of meeting expectations.

]]>http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/nathalie-bondils-5-must-sees/feed/0BUTTERFLIES GO FREE 2013 AT THE MONTREAL BOTANICAL GARDENhttp://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/butterflies-go-free-2013-at-the-montreal-botanical-garden/
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/butterflies-go-free-2013-at-the-montreal-botanical-garden/#commentsTue, 19 Feb 2013 18:51:51 +0000http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/?p=8758From February 14 until April 28, the Montreal Botanical Garden will welcome thousands of beautiful butterflies and their equally attractive cousins, moths. The 16th edition of Butterflies Go Free promises that 2000 butterflies will be fluttering about the green house at all times. You and your family can look forward to discovering over 75 different species of moths and butterflies hailing from Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Kenya, Malaysia and the Philippines… This year the Butterflies Go Free‘ spotlight is on the majestic Monarch butterflies. These butterflies are featured not only for their exquisite good looks, but because they have the longest migration in North America. They travel from Mexico in the winter to Quebec where they are spotted around June (probably heading to the Jazz Fest) and until the end of the summer. It takes 4 generations of Monarch’s to complete the trip, which usually spans about one year. And you thought you didn’t like winter. While you’re at the Botanical Gardens, visitors can recline in the swank Monarch Lounge. The Monarch Lounge’s seats are designed like eggs, caterpillars and chrysalises. The decor was dreamed up by Quebec designer Liz Vandal, an internationally renowned fashion/costume designer famous for creating... / Read More →

From February 14 until April 28, the Montreal Botanical Garden will welcome thousands of beautiful butterflies and their equally attractive cousins, moths. The 16th edition of Butterflies Go Free promises that 2000 butterflies will be fluttering about the green house at all times. You and your family can look forward to discovering over 75 different species of moths and butterflies hailing from Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Kenya, Malaysia and the Philippines…

This year the Butterflies Go Free‘ spotlight is on the majestic Monarch butterflies. These butterflies are featured not only for their exquisite good looks, but because they have the longest migration in North America. They travel from Mexico in the winter to Quebec where they are spotted around June (probably heading to the Jazz Fest) and until the end of the summer. It takes 4 generations of Monarch’s to complete the trip, which usually spans about one year. And you thought you didn’t like winter.

While you’re at the Botanical Gardens, visitors can recline in the swank Monarch Lounge. The Monarch Lounge’s seats are designed like eggs, caterpillars and chrysalises. The decor was dreamed up by Quebec designer Liz Vandal, an internationally renowned fashion/costume designer famous for creating the costumes for Cirque du Soleil’s insect inspired show, OVO. From the butterflies and moths to the decor, Butterflies Go Free is a lovely way to welcome Spring in an almost fairy tale like setting.